Addictive mobile game Flappy Bird has returned, a decade since its original creator removed it from app stores, reportedly because it was ‘too addictive’.

The tappy game is now live as a Telegram mini-game, which is being published by Notcoin, the IP having being acquired by the Flappy Bird Foundation Group.

The game has now launched with season one of its Flap-a-TON event highlighting the game’s crypto credentials as part of Telegram’s TON blockchain.

No wallet is required to play, although activity during the event will allow players to participate in a free minting event for the game’s FLAPPY token.

“Telegram is becoming an important field for app and game developers to create a new level of communication with users. Well-known brands and IPs like Flappy Bird are important to make this journey more recognisable and exciting for users. IP market is a significant part of modern culture; we’re glad to make this first step. And we’re welcoming IPs to work with Telegram and TON via Notcoin,” commented Notcoin founder Sasha Plotvinov.

“Launching on Telegram is the perfect runway for the return of the game, with the platform now recognized as the premier destination for web3 gaming. With the support of Telegram, our community, and the 200 million gamers already on the platform, Flappy Bird’s takeoff into web3 looks more than promising,” commented Michael Roberts, one of figures behind the new version.

As part of the IP acquisition, the Flappy Bird Foundation Group also got rights to the Piou Piou vs. Cactus game, which inspired Flappy Bird, and its creator Kek has been working on the Telegram version.

However, Flappy Bird’s creator Dong Nguyen has been more critical, saying he’s not involved, nor does he “support crypto”.

As well as launching on Telegram, the new version of Flappy Bird will also go live via mobile app stores and on browser in 2025, including with new game modes, cosmetics and progression systems.

In the meantime, however, the only way to play and collect rewards now is on Telegram.

Toncoin, a digital asset tied to Telegram, stood out in a declining market after the app’s founder, Pavel Durov, broke his silence following his arrest in France.

CryptoSlate data shows that Toncoin rose by over 4% in the past 24 hours, reaching $5 before settling around $4.77 at press time. Meanwhile, top assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, and Solana saw more than 2% losses during the same period.

Despite Toncoin’s gains, IntoTheBlock data reveals that most holders are down. Around 80% of the 43 million addresses are “out of the money,” while only 9.3% of holders, or 5 million addresses, are “in the money.”

Durov’s statement

On Sept. 5, Durov addressed his arrest through his Telegram channel, expressing surprise at the actions of French authorities. He noted that Telegram has a designated representative in the EU for regulatory and legal matters.

Durov pointed out that French authorities had other ways to contact him and mentioned his regular visits to the French Consulate in Dubai.

He emphasized that Telegram is prepared to exit regions that oppose its free speech principles, stating:

“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself. Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.

Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools.”

FAQ update

After Durov’s statement, Telegram updated its FAQ page, reflecting a shift in its content moderation policies.

Previously, the platform maintained that all chats were private and did not process content-related requests. However, the updated language now promotes using Telegram’s “report” button to flag illegal content.

Notably, Durov had hinted at further improvements on the messaging application, stating:

“I [have] made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon.”

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The Open Network (TON), the blockchain network associated with Telegram, has surpassed 1 billion transactions, according to data from TON API and aggregated by CryptoQuant community analyst Maartunn.

This achievement comes less than a week after the network experienced two major outages caused by the airdrop of the DOGS memecoin.

1 billion transaction

TON’s transaction volume has now exceeded 1.02 billion, emphasizing its critical role in the broader blockchain ecosystem. Remarkably, half of these transactions occurred within the last three months, highlighting the platform’s rapid growth and increasing user engagement.

TON has grown substantially in recent months thanks to its strategic partnership with Telegram, the popular messaging app with almost one billion users globally.

The network has heavily capitalized on this integration to reach approximately 280,000 daily active users and process an average of 800,000 daily transactions, making it one of the most heavily adopted blockchain networks.

In a recent report, crypto exchange Bybit stated that Telegram’s TON integration has the potential to replicate WeChat’s success and become the world’s next SuperApp with the novel addition of Web3 capabilities.

How DOGs caused TON outages

CryptoSlate, using CryptoQuant data, observed that the two recent outages on the TON network were caused by the huge demand generated by the DOGS token airdrop. This surge led to a massive increase in transaction volume, with TON processing an astonishing 20 million transactions between Aug. 27 and 29.

During this period, DOGS transactions accounted for over 30% of the network’s total transactions. The memecoin also drove the average transaction fee on the network to a six-month high, according to Tonstat data.

Ian Wittkopp, head of TON Ventures, noted that the DOGS memecoin token airdrop likely resulted in TON’s highest day of active users.

So, the intense network activity left several validators struggling to clean outdated transaction data from the database, leading to a loss of consensus among validators. This inability to maintain synchronized records inadvertently disrupted the processing of new transactions, bricking the blockchain network.

Meanwhile, crypto analyst Maartun noted another spike in activity on Aug. 29, when the network faced a heavy load. During this period, an average of 100 transactions were processed per block within seconds, with DOGS transactions comprising around 35% of all transactions in some blocks.

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The Open Network (TON), the blockchain network linked to Telegram, has resumed operations following a significant outage that lasted nearly six hours due to a spike in network traffic.

In an Aug. 28 post on X, TON confirmed it was back online and producing blocks as usual.

What caused the outage?

Some community members speculated that the outage might be linked to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov‘s recent arrest in France.

On Aug. 21, Durov was arrested in Paris and was charged with facilitating illegal transactions, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement, and allowing various unlawful activities to occur on the social messaging application.

However, the head of TON Ventures, Ian Wittkopp, clarified that the outage was caused by the high volume of transactions from airdropping over $550 million in value to the community through the DOGS memecoin token issuance. He added that this might have been TON’s highest day of active users.

DOGS is a memecoin associated with the Telegram community. The project, launched on Aug. 26, attracted significant attention due to its unique airdrop approach. On Aug. 27, blockchain explorer Tonscan reported that the memecoin had generated substantial traffic, which caused some “central services” to be temporarily suspended.

TON corroborated this and explained that the network had seen abnormal load activity, which overwhelmed several validators and prevented them from clearing old transactions. This resulted in a loss of consensus.

On Telegram, TON stated:

“Due to high recent activity (>20m transactions in recent 2 days), garbage collection overloaded many of validators for enough time for them to lost consensus with each other.”

In blockchain networks, validators verify transactions within blocks. When block production stops, transactions go unconfirmed, causing service disruptions.

TON stages recovery

Despite the significant outage, the TON’s network token price defied the broader market trend, losing a mild 1.3% over the past 24 hours while other major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum dropped by an average of 6% during the same period.

Meanwhile, some crypto community members saw the outage as a positive sign for TON, likening it to previous outages on other significant blockchains like Solana and Avalanche. They argued that such disruptions on layer-1 networks often signal high adoption.

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Your Gaming news: on August 21, 2024, GAMEE, the platform of mobile games behind the viral game WatBird and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced that it has received an investment from Pantera Capital, one of the most important investment companies in the blockchain sector.

This financing will allow GAMEE to expand its presence on The Open Network (TON), leveraging the game WatBird, a Mini App on Telegram developed by GAMEE that connects and introduces Telegram users to Web3 through fun and meme-inspired gameplay.

Expansion in the TON Gaming Ecosystem with an investment from Pantera Capital

GAMEE is currently working to amplify its presence in the TON ecosystem by integrating TON-based digital assets, including tokens and NFTs, within gaming experiences on Telegram.

With over 4 million users who have already connected their TON wallets to WatBird, GAMEE aims to attract additional communities of gamers, GameFi sector investors, and Telegram users into the TON ecosystem through community-driven market activations on its Telegram Mini App. The investment from Pantera Capital follows previous funding received from TON Ventures, further strengthening GAMEE’s position as a leader in the gaming ecosystem on Telegram.

Pantera Capital is the first institutional investment company in the United States focused exclusively on blockchain and currently manages over 5 billion dollars in assets. In a recent letter, Pantera expressed its strong belief in the potential of the TON ecosystem, highlighting it as the largest investment in the company’s history. GAMEE, one of the main gaming platforms on Telegram, represents one of Pantera’s first investments within the TON ecosystem. 

With a diverse selection of over 100 games, including WatBird, which has attracted a user base of 3 million daily active players, GAMEE is quickly establishing itself as a dominant force in the gaming sector on Telegram.

Statements and Strategic Visions

Bozena Rezab, co-founder of GAMEE, stated:

“Pantera Capital’s investment in GAMEE represents a significant vote of confidence in our vision to seamlessly integrate Web3 mechanics into the gaming experiences we have cultivated for our community of 90 million players. This support will help us accelerate our mission to strengthen community engagement with the TON ecosystem.”

Cosmo Jiang, gestore di portafoglio presso Pantera, ha aggiunto:

“We are excited to support the growth of applications within the TON ecosystem. We have been impressed by the traction that GAMEE has found with its Mini App games on Telegram and we look forward to seeing it expand its presence on TON.”

Pantera’s investment in GAMEE not only represents a further confirmation of the growing importance of Web3 in the gaming sector, but also underscores the crucial role of platforms like GAMEE in the transition to a new era of digital gaming. The integration of digital assets, such as tokens and NFTs based on TON, into gaming experiences on Telegram, will not only enhance user engagement but also open new opportunities for monetization and community building within Web3.

Furthermore, the influence of Pantera Capital in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector provides GAMEE with a solid foundation to attract further investments and strategic partnerships. This investment marks an important step forward for GAMEE in its goal to become one of the leading Web3 gaming platforms, not only on Telegram but in the entire blockchain ecosystem.

Future of GAMEE and TON

With the expansion of its game ecosystem based on TON, GAMEE plans to launch new initiatives and market activations that will involve not only current players but also new Telegram users and investors in the GameFi sector. The continuous integration of TON and its digital assets into GAMEE’s games will create an increasingly rich and interactive gaming environment, facilitating the transition of traditional users to the world of Web3.

In conclusion, Pantera Capital’s investment in GAMEE represents a significant milestone for both companies and for the entire TON ecosystem. With the support of one of the most important players in the blockchain sector, GAMEE is well positioned to lead the next phase of growth and innovation in the Web3 gaming world.

While much of the blockchain games industry is enduring a season of drought, there’s no lack of momentum for the TON network. Indeed, with 285 games currently listed on TON, the blockchain – originally founded by Telegram – is thriving. 

Recently, it announced it’s setting up a $40 million venture fund – TON Ventures – which will be helmed by ex-director of TON Accelerator Ian Wittkopp, and ex-gaming lead at TON Foundation Inal Kardan. Managed by a DAO, the venture has a mandate to invest in projects building on TON. 

Among the first projects announced to receive funding from TON Ventures is Animoca Brands subsidiary Gamee. The amount raised was not disclosed. As one of the original companies launching its mobile games on Telegram back in 2016, Gamee launched its meme-based WAT Protocol earlier in 2024.

Originally a simple point mining experience, it’s since built out more functionality, including the Watbird Racer, as well as the ability for holders of the GMEE token and various NFTs including Pudgy Penguins and Mocaverse to soft-stake them to also build up their Wat points, which will be converted into an allocation of the WAT token when it launches later in 2024.

Boosted by new funding, Gamee will expand its TON integration including tokens and NFTs, both part of Gamee’s mini app, in order to enhance user engagement. To-date Gamee claims over 4 million players have connected their TON wallets to the WatBird app.

Gamee co-founder Bozena Rezab commented, “We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with The Open Network (TON). We plan to enrich the gaming experience we have built for Telegram with new viral and community-focused mechanics centered around the meme character WatBird. This is another milestone in welcoming our community of 90 million Telegram gamers into the TON ecosystem.”

Find out more about Rezab’s vision of games on TON/Telegram in our recent interview.

Welcome to the August edition of BlockchainGamer.biz’s regular Mavens group. If you’d also like to join the discussion, please contact [email protected]

Do you think the current growth of games on TON is sustainable long-term?

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Mike Levine – Founder, Mystic Moose

It’s too early to determine if TON games will be sustainable in the long term, but early signs lead me to be skeptical.

Currently, the platform is booming with hypercasual games that promise tokens to players. However, it is widely understood the majority of these players are in fact bots. Platform supporters state that even if 90% of 100 million players are bots, there are still 10 million real players. Yet, they overlook the negative impact bots can have on the gaming ecosystem, the most obvious being taking rewards away from real players.

For TON games to become sustainable, developers need to create deeper, richer games with stronger engagement loops that attract players who enjoy the game for its own sake. As seen with Axie and other web3 games, economies based solely on earning cannot succeed long term. There must be a balance between players willing to pay for in-game items and those who are there just to earn.

By focusing on developing quality games that offer genuine enjoyment and robust player engagement, TON games have the potential to build a thriving and sustainable ecosystem. We will see what the bots think if that day ever comes.

Tony Pearce – Co-founder, Reality+

It will depend on developer interest and new funding for continued technical investment. TON seems to have a great community of gamers but as we’ve seen in the past these communities can move to the next big thing/chain very quickly so TON blockchain must continue to support developers and provide resources and incentives.

TON must also continue to innovate to differentiate itself from other blockchain platforms like Ethereum, Solana, Hedera or Polygon but having a shared connection through Telegram certainly helps.

Sam Barberie – Head of strategy and partnerships, Horizon Blockchain Games

Games on Telegram present an interesting opportunity that delves into well-worn territory: social games. First, I think it’s vital that we separate Telegram-based games from TON. TON is a non-EVM blockchain that is not a prerequisite for launching a game on Telegram. Games on Telegram are viable for all. 

Now for the fun stuff: Telegram games are simply the Facebook games of today, and that’s a good thing. Rewind about 15 years, when developers recognized the distribution benefits of launching a game on a platform that had nearly one billion users, and whose networking mechanics could be leveraged by games to enable players to loop in friends and family, creating a powerful user acquisition flow. Web3 developers see Telegram as a similar destination.

Particularly in the current moment, where the traditional game and app stores are less accessible to some web3 games, Telegram has an existing audience who are there for other primary reasons, the potential for network effects, and a relatively open playing field that isn’t yet dominated by a top-heavy cadre of Supercells or Scopelys (just like the early days of Facebook). 

At the same time, I want to caution against hype. Targeting users on Telegram is near impossible, though its app store launch may help. Telegram games also gained a lot of attention through heavily botted experiences, with few – if any – sustainable, human-played games to date. Both of these are challenges that early Facebook games did not face. And, like everything in web3 game development, the rules still apply that developers need to focus on end-to-end, safe, and smooth player experiences.

That said, I see Telegram games as a valuable option for devs that fill a time-based need while iOS and Android get more comfortable with web3 titles, and where game makers can make use of a less crowded field and some potentially unique mechanics.

Quinn Kwon – Head of web3 strategy, Delabs Games

At Delabs Games, we’re very optimistic about the future of Telegram games. We quickly moved to launch GIGACHADBAT on Telegram because we recognized the significant potential in this space.

From our experience, we know that games on chat apps can experience tremendous growth. For instance, our parent company, 4:33, successfully navigated the entire cycle with Kakao, South Korea’s leading chat app. We were the top game publisher on Kakao.

Chat apps have inherent advantages in terms of marketing, virality, and accessibility. Telegram, in particular, stands out with its seamless integration of web3 elements, such as wallets and tokens, directly within the app.

So yes, we are confident in the long-term growth of games on Telegram. We believe that what we’re seeing now is just the beginning, with the potential for more sophisticated and complex game structures in the future.

Tomer Pascal – Co-founder, OwnPlay

I’m quite skeptical of the current state of Telegram-based gaming experiences. Many of these games have flimsy foundations that won’t likely support long-term growth. These “meme games” are driven more by hype and speculation rather than real substance or sustainable gameplay. That means the incentives are skewed more towards narrative storytelling to the community of players, rather than organic interest in gameplay and the game itself. 

These meme games will remain niche, as I don’t see there being much room in the market.

I’d much rather focus my efforts on developing crypto gaming experiences with real staying power – not just quick-hit, incentivized diversions. I believe there are more sustainable, meaningful ways for us to engage players in the crypto gaming space – ways that combine fun games with proper incentives built less on token speculation and more on actual gameplay.

Carlos Roldan – CEO, Elixir Games

The growth of TON/Telegram games is something undeniable, it offers a closeness to users which is very positive and generates a really interesting user acquisition. It is also good to comment on how all these projects are at the entrance to games that offer a user experience focused on the long term, with a sophisticated development and which are sustainable.

Integrating features into Telegram such as truly accessible games for users is a very positive step forward, not everyone has the facilities and access to be able to play triple A games and this allows them to stay in the industry without needing the latest hardware. These integrations can serve as a good addition to the existing ecosystem for true gamers, while also providing an excellent avenue for new user engagement. However, this trend should serve as a stepping stone rather than the ultimate goal.

Developers must continue to focus on creating experiences for their audiences. Games must always have a focus on fun, focusing on the user experience as entertainment or a method of disconnection rather than a profit calculator with incentives. Speculation, as has been demonstrated, is not acceptable in games and projects that really want to make a place in the industry in the long term.

Russell Bennett – CEO, Metacade

You have to respect TON’s product fit and market positioning. I think it’s brilliant. But in terms of the growth of the TON network, from a financial point of view and due to the size of it there could potentially be no more than a 2x left in it. However I think the long-term growth will be seen in economy growth.

I think what it has done is encourage a number of projects.

One of our clients, Shockwaves, has just launched their first Telegram game, and it’s very good, far better than what we’re seeing at the moment. The main tranche of games which have hit Telegram are effectively farming activities. So people are literally going into an app and tapping, which is mind blowing to me. But if it works, it works. If hyper-casual games continue to hit Telegram, and it allows tokens to be used then I think we would definitely utilize Telegram for future games in the pipeline for Metacade. 

Games being integrated into Telegram is where we’ll see explosive growth. I think TON are going after the super-app philosophy. An app that does all – investing, gaming, viewing – and I think people fully expect to be living within one application in the not too distant future, probably 10 to 20 years. I think TON and Telegram probably have a good opportunity of completely cornering that market. 

Alexander Goldybin – Founder and chairman, iLogos

TON’s game growth is exciting but sustainability depends on:

• Engaging gameplay: Games must be fun and keep players interested.
• Strong ecosystem: A healthy developer community, tools, and player engagement are crucial.
• Long-term vision: Games need a plan for future updates and community building.

The jury’s still out on TON’s long-term sustainability, but the current growth is certainly a positive sign.  Let’s see if these games can deliver the engaging experiences and long-term commitment needed to thrive. 

As always, players will ultimately decide the fate of TON’s gaming scene.

Christina Macedo – CEO, READYgg

There’s undeniable potential in TON’s integration with Telegram. It’s exactly what we need to push gaming content to mobile users globally, which is in line with PLAY’s mission to democratize web3 gaming. Not only does it broaden access, it also changes how we think about distributing and accessing games. 

But the games that are currently available on TON remind me a lot of the very early web3 games. Most don’t have the mechanics and storytelling that draw players in and, more importantly, retain them. Many of them aren’t on-chain either.

At PLAY, we’re looking to bring our advanced technology to TON to deepen player engagement. We’re talking about enabling MMOs, PvP, and other community-centric games that can thrive in a social platform like Telegram. 

In short, I believe the growth could be sustainable – if the games evolve significantly. We need to see blockchain being leveraged to its potential, with real integration, richer game dynamics, and an improved discovery mechanism. If TON can grow along these lines, it could become a mainstay platform for web3 gaming.

Binance, the leading crypto exchange by trading volume, announced it will list Toncoin (TON) today, Aug. 8.

The exchange will enable spot trading for Toncoin with several pairs starting at 10:00 UTC. Withdrawals for Toncoin will commence on Aug. 9 at 10:00 UTC.

This new listing will feature a “seed tag” label, indicating a higher risk and potential volatility. Binance cautioned:

“TON is a new listed token that poses a higher than normal risk, and will likely be subject to high price volatility. Users must exercise sufficient risk management and DYOR (do your own research) to fully understand the project before opting to trade the token.”

Following the news, TON’s price rose 10% to $6.17 as of press time, according to CryptoSlate’s data.

Will the Binance ‘curse’ impact TON?

The Toncoin blockchain has experienced substantial growth over the past year, aided by its integration with the popular messaging platform Telegram.

This boost has positioned Toncoin among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market cap, surpassing networks like Avalanche, Dogecoin, and Cardano.

Yet, recent findings present a potential obstacle to Toncoin’s price continued ascendancy. Research indicates that tokens listed by Binance in 2024 have largely underperformed. According to Coin98 Analytics, nearly all of the 30 tokens listed this year are experiencing declines.

This corroborates a report from crypto researcher Flow, who also noted that most listings on the exchange flopped.

According to the researcher, Binance’s market dominance and liquidity have drawn insiders looking to cash out their holdings. He stated:

“More often than not, tokens launching on Binance are not investment vehicle anymore – all their upside potential are already taken away. Instead, they represent exit liquidity for insiders who capitalize on retail lack of access to quality early investment opportunities.”

Nevertheless, TON enthusiasts believe the Binance listing would yield more positives for the project, improving its credibility and enhancing its visibility to more retailers.

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